Handgrip for carriers and cartons



July 5, 1949. J. o. CRARY HANDGRIP FOR CARRIERS AND CA R'I'ONS OriginalFiled Nov. 22, 1943 INVENTOR. JAY D. CRARY AT TO RNE Y Patented July 5,1949 HANDGRIP FOR CARRIERS AND CARTONS Jay D. Crary, Portland, reg.,assignor to Paper Strap, Inc., Portland, Oreg., a corporation of OregonContinuation of application Serial No. 511,357, November 22, 1943. Thisapplication August 15, 1946, Serial No. 690,711

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hantiles for carriers such ascollapsible cartons, cardboard boxes and the like and more particularlyto hand grips therefore either formed integral therewith or attachablethereto. This application is a continuation of my prior application,Serial Number 511,357, filed November 22, 1943, now abandoned, entitledHand grip for carriers and cartons.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a handle and handgrip which is normally flat but when gripped by the user, by theinsertion of his hand through the hand opening, the handle willautomatically spread to a position of maximum width forming a relativelyfiat wide gripping surface for the hand of the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedhandle and hand grip of the character described including means forsecuring the lower portions of the hand grip relatively together toprevent the same from spreading when lifting load is applied to thehandle.

These and other objects will appear as my invention is more fullyhereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in theaccompanying drawing while the features of novelty will be pointed outwith greater particularity in ac claims appended hereto.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of one side of a hand grip madein accordance with one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation ofthe opposite side of the hand grip; Fig. 3 is a sectional view takenalong the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the hand gripbut shown in the operative position; Fig. 5 is an end elevation of ahand grip constructed in accordance with a second modification of theinvention; Fig. 6 is an end elevation illustrating one typicalapplication of the hand grip of the present in- 'vention; and Fig. 7 isan end elevation illustrating a further application for the hand grip ofthe present invention.

The handle, indicated generally at 1, comprises two panels 2 and s ofany suitable material such as cardboard, fixedly secured relativelytogether at or near their lower portions such as by means of staples 4which form a hinge line for those portions of the panels disposed abovethe hinge line so that the upper panel portions may be spread apart withrespect to each other.

Out of the panel 2, I form, by a punching operation, flap 5 which isswingable or foldable about a fold line 6 extending parallel with theupper edge of the panels. Both ends of the flap 5 are notched inwardlyas at 1, and a fold line 8 extends between the notches l parallel withthe fold line 6. The other panel 3 is provided with an aperture or handopening 9 aligned with the opening provided in the panel 2 about theflap 5.

In the normal, or inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 3, the panels 2and 3 extend closely adjacent and parallel with each other in asubstantially flat condition and with the flap 5 also extending parallelwith the panels. When the handle is gripped by a user, he thrusts hishand or fingers against the outer surface of the flap 5 and swings theoutermost portion thereof through the aperture 9 in the panel 3 causingthe flap to bend around. the fold lines 6 and 8. Due to the fact thatthe flap portion between the fold lines 6 and S5 is of a greater lengththan the length of the aperture 9 the shoulders thereof formed by thenotches l engage with the inner surfaces of the panel 3 at the oppositeends of the aperture 8 to cause the panels 2 and 3 to be spread apart atthe upper end of the hand openings. The outer end portion of the flap 5projecting through the aperture 9 in panel 3 bends about the fold line 8to an upwardly extending position, as illustrated in Fig. 4, while thearea between the fold lines it and 8 lies flat or horizontally betweenthe two spread apart panels 2 and 3 forming a fiat gripping surface. Aslifting pressure is applied to the hand grip the panels 2 and 3 will bemaintained in a spread apart relation adjacent the upper edge of thehand opening by virtue of the horizontal flap portion between the foldlines 5 and 8 extending therebetween. Separation of the lower endportions of the panels 2 and 3 is positively precluded, however, byreason of the staples 4 securing such portions fixedly relativelytogether.

Although I have shown the panels 2 and 3 as two separate parts it is tobe understood that they may be made of one single piece folded over uponitself as indicated at it in the modification illustrated in Fig. 5, thetwo panel portions indicated at l l and 12 being secured fixedlytogether along their lower portions as indicated at l3, by staples orthe like. In this form of the invention, the panel H is provided with aflap Hi similar to the panel 5 as previously described while the panelI2 is provided with an elongated aperture l5 similar to the aperture 9,through which the flap I4 is adapted to be moved as shown. The flap i4is notched and provided with shoulders it to automatically spread andspace the panels apart when the handle is gripped by a user. The outerend of the flap M is moved upwardly alongside the upper portion of thepanel 42, and thereby maintains the panels in a spread position toprovide a fiat gripping surface along the uppermost edges of the handopenings.

It is to be understood that the handle and hand grip of the presentinvention may be formed integral with a carton or carrier as illustratedby the end view of Fig. 6, in which case, the hand grip is shown at 20formed integrally with a central wall or partition of a carton 2|. Inthe form illustrated in Fig. 7 the hand grip indicated at 22 is shownattached to the upper end of a filled bag 23. In this case the closedupper end "of the bag is stapled shut by means of the staples 24 alsoServing to fixedly secure together the lower portions of the hand grippanels.

It is thus seen that the invention in. its broadest aspects comprises ahand grip which is normally fiat and may be manufactured and shipped insuch a flattened condition. The hand grip panels are secured fixedlytogether with relation to each other at their lower portions whereby theupper panel portions remain in the flattened or parallel condition untilsuch time as the hand grip is grasped by the user. The hand gripincludes a portion secured relative to one of the panels which extends,during the inoperative condition of the hand grip downwardly from theupper edge of the hand opening and as the hand grip is grasped by theuser this portion is moved to a position extending substantially atright angles between the panels wedging or forcin them apart adjacentthe upper edge of the hand opening and retaining them in such a spacedapart condition as lifting force is applied thereto and at the same timeproviding a flat gripping surface which is comfortable to the hand. Thelower end portions of the hand grip panel are retained throughout in thefixed position closely adjacent each other.

While the invention has been described with particular reference tocertain preferred embodiments thereof it is desired that it beunderstood that many minor changs will readily suggest themselves toothers skilled in the art but without departing from the spirit andscope of my present invention.

What I claim is:

1. A handle comprisin a pair of panels having elongated hand openingstherethrough, a flap integral with one of said panels at the upper edgeof the opening therein, said flap including a first portion nextadjacent said edge having a length slightly greater than the length ofthe opening in the other of said panels, said fiap includin a secondportion integral with the outer edge of said first portion, said secondportion having a length slightly less than the hand opening in saidother panel, said second fiap portion being 4 adapted to be swungthrough said opening in said other panel as said handle is grasped bythe user, the opposite ends of said first flap portion engaging with theadjacent side wall of said other panel for spacing said two panelsapart.

2. A handle and hand grip for carriers, cartons and the like, saidhandle comprising a pair of relatively stifi cardboard panels, saidpanels having a juxtaposed inoperative position and a spaced apartoperative position, said panels being automatically shiftable from saidinoperative to said operative position upon grasping of the hand gripthereof by the user, aligned hand openings in said panels, meanssecuring the lower end portions of said panels below said openingsfixedly and closely together whereby said two panels in said inoperativeposition extend closely together and vertically parallel with each otherfrom said securing means to the upper extremity of said panels, afoldable fiap element affixed to one of said panels above said opening,said flap element bein foldable along a fold line adjacent to andparallel with the upper edge of said opening in said one panel, a secondfold line in said flap element parallel with and spaced from said firstfold line, said flap element in the inoperative position of said handleprojecting downwardly from the upper edge of said opening of said onepanel and substantially parallel with said one panel, said flap elementbeing adapted to be engaged by the hand of the user upon insertion ofthe hand through said openings for the grasping of said hand gripwhereupon said flap element will be swung toward said second panel andthe portion of said flap element between said first and second foldlines shifted to a horizontal position between said panels, said flapelement including portions adjacent said second fold line forautomatically engaging relatively against the inner surface of saidother panel facing said one panel for forcibly shifting said other panelrelatively away from said one panel in the region of said hand openingsand from said inoperative to said operative position.

JAY D. CRARY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PA 1 ENTS Number Name Date 1,492,100 Krueger Apr. 29, 19242,192,131 FiShWiCk Feb. 2'7, 1940 2,390,020 Wesselman -1- Nov. 27, 1945

